Kindergarten at Shorecrest

Kindergarten is a time of major developmental milestones.

At Shorecrest, it’s in kindergarten that students learn to put their voices to paper, to follow their own questions to get answers, to sort numbers and understand math concepts, and to begin to explore how they fit into the world around them. Kindergarten is also a time for balance. The kindergarten curriculum maintains balance through large group, small group and individual learning activities; a balance in content areas; a balance between work and play; and a balance between teacher-directed and child-initiated experiences.

The progressive, child-centered approach to teaching and learning at Shorecrest ensures that children in the kindergarten program have the tools and support they need at their specific stage of development to become engaged lifelong learners who respect themselves, each other, and the environment.

OVERARCHING THEMES

Social-Emotional Learning:

Social-emotional learning is integrated throughout the day in Shorecrest kindergarten. Teachers are trained in the Responsive Classroom approach, a research-based approach to teaching that leads to greater teacher effectiveness, higher student achievement, and improved school climate. From daily morning meeting to the language teachers use with their students, what’s best for students is at the heart of each student-teacher interaction at Shorecrest.

The Project Approach:

Project-based learning is an in-depth study or investigation of a topic or theme that allows students to follow their questions and to learn about a given topic of interest. Through these projects, students learn how to learn, how to make sense of what they are learning, how to apply what they learned, and how to share or teach from a place of authority about what they have learned. Projects are typically interdisciplinary, meaning they aren’t confined to simply one subject area.

Field Experiences & Guest Experts:

Kindergarten students have regular visits from guest experts, who share their area of expertise - from a doctor during a unit on healthy living or a master gardener while working in the campus garden. Similarly, classes often take their lessons outdoors or off campus to learn from other experts in the community.

An Added Outdoor Classroom

Shorecrest started off as an outdoor school near the downtown waterfront. Students explored, conducted hands-on learning activities and had plenty of time to play, wonder and discover the world around them. That work continues in the Lower School today, embracing our history and progressive pedagogical practices. Our kindergarten teachers enjoy an outdoor classroom - a world of play and exploration with water tables, easels, wood working benches, tables, musical instruments, a dramatic play area and so much more. It is a place for children to imagine, collaborate and follow their individual interests. Learn more about the kindergarten curriculum and teachers here.

Lower School Traditions

Poetry in the Park

Families and friends enjoy watching as each Lower School class recites a poem at the annual al fresco celebration of poetry in the fall.

Halloween Parade & Fall Festival

Dressed in their Halloween finest, Lower School students debut their costumes for the Middle and Upper School students and teachers as they parade through the 28 acre campus. The parade is immediately followed by an outdoor festival with games, rides, and Halloween surprises.

Celebrate the Arts

A weeklong teach-in featuring local artists, gallery walk highlighting student work, class performances and more. The final feature of the week is the Shorecrest Upper School spring musical.

E-Portfolios

Beginning in kindergarten, Shorecrest teachers digitally document and archive students’ work and projects into an e-portfolio. The portfolio follows the student through the course of K-4th Grade Lower School and serves as a tool to draw connections and illustrate student progress.

HEALTH & SAFETY at SHORECREST

Shorecrest contracts with Critical Intervention Services (CIS) to provide campus safety and security. Together, we developed a school-wide comprehensive safety, security and protection program that retains the open and welcoming atmosphere of our independent school campus while enhancing all levels of safety for the Shorecrest community. Shorecrest employs two School Protection Officers (SPO’s) with unique skills, interest and training to serve as on-campus leaders for the safety, security and protection of Shorecrest students.

Shorecrest employs a full-time registered nurse who manages and maintains a fully stocked clinic located on the Lower School side of campus. She dispenses any approved prescription medication, manages student health records, and handles an on-campus illnesses or injuries.